tibbetts



M. TIBBETTS.

MOTOR VEHiCLE.

APPLICATION FILED IUNE 19. ms.

Patmrezl May 27, 1919.

2 SHEETS SHEET I M. TiBBETTS.

MOTOR VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE19', 191s.

LEQQQBQG- Patented May 27, 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2 B ll PATENT MELTQEQ TIBBETTS, :5 DETRQIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNGR TO? PACKARD MOTOR CAR coiuranr, or nnrnorr; nionrosn,

A GOEPQRATION 01? MICHIGAN.

llEQTUlt-VEHKCLE.

ll ,glld li ht,

hpcoifiation of Letters Ilatnt.

Patented May 2?, 11919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, ll/JlILTON Tieee'rrs a citizen of the United States, and resident of Detroit, Wayne county, State of Michigan have invented certain new and useful linprovenients in Motor-Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to motor vehicles and particularl driving axles therefor.

@ne of the o jects of the invention is to provide alight and eliicient axle and differential mechanism Another object oi the invention is to improve upon the form of axles which employ what may he called a two gear difierential mechanism. 7

Another object of the invention is to provide a suitable oil retaining means within a motor vehicle axle in whi h a so-called two gear difi'erential mechanism is employed.

Another object or the invention is to improve upon the form and construction of v the axle sections of an. axle employing a two gear dirierential mechanism,

Other objects of the invention will appear from the -following description taken in connection with the drawings which iform a part of this specification, and in which Figure l is a horizontal, longitudinal section through a driving axle embodying this invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the dinerential housing shown in Fig. i.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the axle shown in Fig. 1. the hub cap hein removed.

Fig. l is a vertical longitudinal section and part elevation oi the axle shown in Fig. l, the differential housing and axle sections having been turned ninety degrees.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line 55 oi Fig. A with the axle section in dotted line position;

Fig. 6 is a transverse section on the line 66 of Fig. 4, the hearings however not hein shown; and

' ig. 7 is a transverse section on the line 7-7 of Fig. l.

Referring to the drawings, 19 represents generally an axle casing comprising a main central part ll having an enlarged portion 12 in which are forward and rear openings 13 and respectively, and end parts 15 upon which the driving wheels 16 are mounted to rotate as by the it}, 1%..

The front opening 13 of the enlarged middle portion of the axle casing is closed by a detachable cover 19, in which the driving or propeller shaft 20 of the vehicle is mounted as in bearings 21. This cover 19 has inwardly extended lugs 22 and detachable caps 23 in which are mounted a pair of spaced ball bearings 24 for a difierential housing 25. This housing is shown best in Fig. 2 and it will be seen that it is in the form or a cylinder having openings 26 therein, and at each end there are a pair of openings 27, 28 which form hearings for the axle sections hereinafter described. The hearings 2a surround the ends oil the (litterential housing and are held thereon as by nuts 29. llnterlnediate its ends, the diderential housing is also formed with an annulaflange 30 to which is secured as by riveting or otherwise a driven bevel gear 31 which meshes with a driving pinion 32 on the propeller shaft 20.

It will he oloserved that the opening 27 in one end of the difierential housing is axially in line with the opening 28 in the other end,

and all of these openings are offset from the rotative axis of the difi'erential housing and are at a slight angle thereto. ln Each-the axes of these openings are parallel to each other and if extended they would intersect the axis of the axle casing, or the rotative axis of the wheels 16, at the outer ends of the wheel huhs. Also it will be seen that the opening 27 in each case is larger than its alined opening 28, and the former is large enough to admit the enlarged end of one or the two axle sections 33. As shown, these axle sections are tubular in form throughout the greater part of their length, and each of them is formed at its inner end with a spur gear 34, the gears of these axle sections being in mesh within the difierential housing. Each axle section is also formed with an end hearing part 35 which takes a hearing -l0earing part 36, which is in fact as large as or larger than the diameter of the gear 34:, and takes a hearing in the opening 27. With this construction it will be seen that the axle sections may he inserted into and withdrawn from the difierential housing without disturbing the hearings or mountor any other parts thereof.

in the opening 28 and with a larger Ehe outer end of each axle section 33 is in the forms of a flange-317 having peripheral teeth 38 which are adapted to enter notches 39 cut in the outer end of the hub of the wheel 16. A cap 40 screwed onto the end of the wheel hub retains the axle section in place. i

With the above construction it will be observed that the wheels 16 are connected by -a two gear differential mechanism, which is always used in an axle of thischaracter from running out of the ends of the axle when the latter is tipped somewhat while in use, a guard 40 is provided on each side of the difi'erential housing, such guard extending inwardly from its point of attachmentto the axle casing at 41 toward the differential housing. This guard 40 forms an oil pocket 42 so that the oil is caught therein as the axle is tipped and it returns to the middle of the large portion. of the axle casing when the latter returns to horizontal position.

As shown, the guard 40 does not extend entirely around the axle section, but is cut away on its upper side for the purpose of,

permitting the ready removal of the axle section 33 endwise. Thus in Fig. 4 the differential housing mav be turned so that the righthand axle section 33 is in the position shown in dotted lines, and the axle section may then be drawn outwardly without in any way interfering with the guard 40. By

turning the differential housing 180 degrees from that position, or to the position in which it is now shown in full lines in Fig.

4, the left hand axle section may be removed in like manner.

For the purpose of further preventing the escape of oil from the middle portion of the axle casing, a throw-off ring 43 may be secured about each of the axle sections just inwardly of the inner end of the guard 40. Thus any oil that may escape from the hearing portion .36 of the axle section will be thrown from the section by centrifugal force before it reaches the guard 40.

It will be understood that other forms of the invention may be made without depar ing from the' spirit'or scope of the invention.

I claim- 1. In a motor vehicle axle, in combination, an axle casing a differential housing in the form of an integral cylinder having -openings in its sides, bearings surrounding the ends of said housing and mounted in said casing, said housing having two bearing openings in each end offset from the axis thereof, and axle sections extending into the ends of said housing and having a bearing in said openings.

2. In a motor vehicle axle, in combination, an axle casing, a diiferential housing in the form of an integral cylinder having openings in its sides, bearings surrounding the ends of said housing and mounted in said casing, said housing having two bearing openings in each end offset from the axis thereof, and axle sections having gears at their inner endsand extending into the ends 80 of said housing, the gears of said sections being adapted to mesh, and said sections formed to have a bearing in said openings on each side of said gears.

In a motor vehicle axle, in combination, an axle casing, a differential housing therein, wheels mounted at the ends of the axle,

r and a pair of axle sections each connected to an axle casing 'having a middle enlarged portion, a differential housing therein, a pair of axle sections extending into saidhousing and having their inner ends relatively offset, and an oil guard on each side of and extending inwardly toward said housing and cut away on one side to permit withdrawal of the axle sections through the outer ends of the axle.

5. In a motor vehicle axle, in combination, an axle casing having a middle enlarged portion, a differential housing therein, a pair of axle sections extending into said housing and having their inner ends relatively offset, and an oil guard on each side of and ex tending inwardly toward said housing and cut away on its upper side to permit the axle section when turned to one position to be wiizhdrawn through theouter ends of the ax 6. n a motor vehicle axle, in combination,

an axle casing having a middle enlarged portion, a difierential housing mounted in bearingstherein, axle sections extending into said housing, throw-01f rings on said axle sections, and guards under the axle sections and extending inwardly to a point adjacent said rings;

7 In a motor vehicle axle, in combination, an axle casing, a one piece differential housing supported on bearings therein, and differential gears in said housing.

eoense ported in bearings thefeixnsaH housing he ing a single piece of substantially cylindrical form, and difierential gears mounted in said housing;

9. In a motor vehicle axle, in combination, an axle easing, a difierentiel h0usingsup' ported in bearings therein, said housing being a single piece of substantially cylirfirical form, and a pair ofintermeshing difi'erential gears mounted in said housing with 10 their axes lengthwise of the axle.

' In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

MILTON TIBBETT 

